Eagles and the Bible

Eagles, Birds to Admire

Since the beginning of time, people have admired eagles. A flying eagle makes for a majestic sight. They belong in the air and soar with ease. They make their nest without fear in places most humans would not dare to go.

Yet, their majesty does not remain in the heights. They look royal and courageous even when they are on the ground or on a perch. God in His creativity imagined them, engineered them and He commands them.

Eagles in the Bible

The Bible uses eagles to teach spiritual principles. The famous verse Isaiah 40:31 use eagles to inspire us and to show us that God provides his people with strength when we feel weak. Many believers love this verse and get inspiration from its words, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (NIV).

Other passages like Deuteronomy 32:10-12 use eagles to demonstrate God’s protection and guidance over the lives of those who follow Him. In talking about Israel God says, “He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.”

But the book of Job uses eagles in a different way. In this book, Job questions God about his suffering. God never directly answered Job’s questions. Instead, He points Job to nature to illustrate things about Himself. In Job 39:27-28 God says, “Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high? It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold” (NIV).

God uses eagles in the book of Job to reveal His greatness and to illustrate that His ways are far beyond human comprehension. He sternly, masterfully, and gently tells Job that human beings cannot fully understand the ways of God, but we can trust Him.

The Creator of Eagles — He’s Got This

Like a master craftsman, God designed Eagles to soar and to live life. We stand amazed by them and marvel at their flight, but God simply says, “Yeah, I made them. No problem. And you have no idea how I did it.”

He commands and controls them like they are his pets. A wild eagle bows to no one but God.

God knew what He was doing when He created eagles. He always knows what He is doing. We often don’t understand why things happen, but God does. Like Job, we often question God.  But He is the one who designed nature and designed us. God calls us to trust Him and tells us, as He told Job, that we do not know all that He knows.

The Bible tells us that God is our protector, our guide, our strength, and our inspiration. He also is the one who knows all and is in control. He’s got this. The maker and keeper of the eagles is worthy of our trust.

A Short Prayer

Dear Lord, though I don’t comprehend everything, help me to trust in Your strength, guidance, and protection. Help me to rest in knowing that you have a complete understanding of my life, my future, and all things, even though I do not. Your understanding is far beyond mine. You designed eagles. You are amazing.